politesse
noun
po·li·tesse
| \ ˌpä-li-ˈtes
, ˌpȯ-\
, ˌpȯ-\
Definition of politesse
: formal politeness : decorousness
Examples of politesse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The responses are eye-opening, but do not necessarily represent the gold standard of politesse. — Ajc Homepage, ajc, "How most air travelers feel about taking off your shoes, sharing the armrest and more," 24 Nov. 2017 The Trump Administration has the right idea, even if the President’s words lack the usual diplomatic politesse. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "Trumpian Fury on North Korea," 9 Aug. 2017 Apparently, the T & T squad didn’t want to burn some of that politesse and reciprocity with the Sounders. — Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times, "Sounders’ situation with Joevin Jones shows soccer is different animal than other sports in this country," 27 Aug. 2017 Black demonstrators protesting the murder of teen-agers are met with tanks and riot gear; white demonstrators protesting the unpopularity of Nazi and Confederate ideology are met with politesse. — Longreads, "How We Got to Here: A Charlottesville Reading List," 15 Aug. 2017 But nearly three months into his term, the Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, will need more than his gentle, tobacco-country politesse to govern effectively. — Richard Fausset, New York Times, "In North Carolina, Governing With a Punch and a Handshake," 19 Mar. 2017 Another reason, though, is that historians of conservatism, like historians in general, tend to be liberal, and are prone to liberalism’s traditions of politesse. — Rick Perlstein, New York Times, "I Thought I Understood the American Right. Trump Proved Me Wrong.," 11 Apr. 2017 In an antiseptic Tokyo of stifling politesse and prohibitive cost of living, the aging protagonist, a French-language instructor named Mitsuki, waits for her mother to finish the tedious business of dying. — Jiayang Fan, New York Times, "Filial Devotion, Sorely Tested in Minae Mizumura’s Novel," 9 June 2017 Look, the real damage done here isn't to senatorial politesse. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, "Stop Pretending Neil Gorsuch Will Be Your Friend," 6 Apr. 2017These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'politesse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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